Mayor Oberg is making a statement about some of the speculations that are rampant. "We need to make sure we are dealing from facts."

"I think it is best to say that we have a liability we have to pay down," Oberg said. "We know that for a fact."

"We have concerns with the system. We do not have concerns with the firemen and policemen providing the public safety services," Oberg said. "I think we are going to see some changes here shortly, but I am not going to say what they are until a little further down the road."

Oberg points out that some of the options may not be able to be accomplished short term. He points out that voters need to know they're getting the absolute truth as the City has it. "We need to start to coalesce as a council."

Steve Blair suggests that the City should sue the state on several levels:

1. Get autonomy back as a community.

2. Notes that the State has removed the right to raise revenue in various ways.

Sischka:

"We have wandered around in the weeds for long enough. We could wait for a thousand different reasons. But it's not getting anything done. We need to be concisive, and tell a compelling story."

Wilcox:

Points out that the Town Hall organized by Oberg with the Reason Foundation was not sanctioned by the Council. "What we really need to look at is what this community will tolerate," Wilcox said. "Take the think tanks out of the mix and let us make our own decisions in Prescott."

Lamerson points out that an actuarial is not a real number. It may happen, it may not.

Orr:

I understand Steve's position, I think that the state has overreached. "So, yeah. We should think about that."

Blair points out that next year is a reelection year for the Governor, "Let's get his attention."

Orr requests that they direct staff to come back with ballot language next week.

Lazzell: "Steve, I agree with you. We need to send a message, whether it's a smoke message or a finger, whatever."

"You've got to ask yourself a question, 'Why did all of us move here or stay here if we were born here? ...To do nothing, we won't have it."

Lazzell agrees with Billie, let's get ballot language.

Oberg says that they're not going to do "nothing." There is going to be a 2-track system, local and legislative.

City Manager Lamar agrees that they need to exhaust the options, but anything else other than a revenue source is only around the margins.

Sischka points out that the problem with the General Fund will break the City if they don't do something.

Multiple payments over time to pay down PSPRS liabilities will reduces the market condition risk.

Lamerson wants to have a dedicated police and fire department revenue resource.

When the fund is not performing well, it is not recommended to add a lot of extra money to the PSPRS fund at the moment.

Using a smaller amount more often limits the risk.

Daniel Mattson: The only solution that we have left is the sales tax. Bankruptcy is just cheating our public safety persons out of their pension. We're not talking about taxing ourselves out of the market here. We might as well put this on the ballot and start concentrating on telling people that's what we need to do.

Eliminated the Field & Facilities Department and split it between two other departments.

"Things I care about... To try to find better ways of delivering services in this organizations," said the City Manager Lamar.

City manager points out that the new CAD system will allow the City to Triage the calls for both police and fire, allowing the proper response.

Here is the presentation that City Manager Michael Lamar discussed at the Town Hall. This presentation is almost identical:

Lazzell likes all the idea, "Is there somebody private that can come in and do what we're doing?"

Wilcox is concerned that they look experiences in other communities.

Mattson: Speaks about the infrastructure, he thinks the City does a pretty good job with it, and keeps the rates reasonable. He suggests medical response - maybe not having a fire engine respond to all calls. He thinks it would be wise to tell the citizens to approve the .75¢ sales tax. [That is 3/4 of a penny.] He urges the Council to get ballot language started.

Sischka asks how they get ballot language ready?

Paladini thinks they need to have further discussion on a variety issues. He recommends they focus on simply the ballot language in a next meeting, probably Tuesday, the 21st.

Lamar says there aren't other options that would make that much of a magnitude of a difference in the overall issue.